Congestive heart failure is a condition where the heart does not pump enough blood to meet the body's oxygen requirements, according to the online medical encyclopedia Merck Manuals. Any disease that causes heart disease may contribute to heart...
Humans and bacteria survive in similar environments on a daily basis. Many bacteria never directly contact people, many interact with humans in a beneficial way and some bacteria result in harmful infections. In many cases, a species of bacteria...
Lung infections in humans arise when a pathogenic bacteria invades the lungs. The bacteria can then replicate and spread to other parts of the body, in serious cases. The bacterial replication results in inflammation of the alveoli in the lungs,...
The American Cancer Society (ACS) indicates that cigarette smoking is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. It states that 23.7 percent of people 25 to 44 years old were current smokers in 2008. Cigarettes contain nicotine, the...
Difficulty with breathing can be caused be a simple cold or flu or a more serious disease process like an asthma attack or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Long before pharmaceutical medications stepped into the picture, healers like...
Nearly one-third of the world's population is infected with the bacteria that cause tuberculosis, which is why tuberculosis remains one of the most deadly diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The CDC reports...
Irritation of the airways by infections, inflammation, inherited disorders or structural abnormalities can cause increased mucus production and coughing up phlegm. Hair-like projections on the cells, lining the airways, move mucus up and out of...
Phlegm, or sputum, is produced when the lungs are inflamed and excess mucous is produced in the respiratory tract. The medical term for blood in the sputum is hemoptysis. According to MedlinePlus, blood in the sputum differs from bleeding that...
It is the job of your lungs to exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide, because all of the cells in your body must have oxygen to provide them with the energy that they need to do their work. Carbon dioxide is a waste product that must be removed. Yet...
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD, is a chronic airway condition in which patients have a chronic cough and expectoration with varying degrees of shortness of breath. An exacerbation means there is a change in the patient's normal...
Lung cancer can develop within the airways, or bronchi, within the lungs, or in the air sacs that facilitate oxygen transfer from the air into the bloodstream. In it’s early stages, the cancerous tumor remains situated within one region of...
Advanced, or end stage lung cancer is a medical prognosis, not an actual tumor staging. When one is diagnosed with end stage lung cancer, this means that traditional curative options have been exhausted and the cancer will progress and eventually...
Chinese medicine has been used for centuries as a holistic way to cure many illnesses. The basic principle behind the use of this approach is that what affects the body also affects the mind and spirit: that an emotional problem often manifests...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, or COPD, are a group of lung diseases that block airflow to and from the lungs, states MayoClinic.com. COPD progressively worsens and makes it increasingly difficult for patients to breathe properly. COPD...
Tuberculosis (TB) is caused by a bacteria called Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This bacterium is transmitted through respiratory droplets from a person with active TB infection. A potentially fatal disease, TB can attack various organs in the body....
According to the American Medical Association, in an average lifespan of 75 years, a human being will breathe in and out more than 8 million cubic feet of air. Because breathing is essentially an unconscious process, it's only when it becomes...
If you suffer from chronic coughing, you may not know what is triggering the cough reflex. Your cough may be dry, leading to lost sleep; you may throw up or break a rib from the force of your coughing. Your doctor can examine you and narrow down...
Hemoptysis is the medical term for coughing up blood. The blood can be mixed with mucus or be pink and bubbly, or bright red. The Mayo Clinic says coughing up a little bit of sputum tinged with blood is not uncommon and usually doesn't...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also called COPD, causes breathing problems that get progressively worse over time, according to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Smoking is the leading cause of COPD. Air pollution, chemical...
One thousand infants are diagnosed with cystic fibrosis every year in America, according to the 2004 report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some cystic fibrosis symptoms are seen in newborn babies. Some symptoms can be seen in...
Advanced breast cancer often metastasizes--it develops tumors in other tissues around the body. This occurs when a few cells break off the initial tumor, called the primary tumor, and travel around the body to colonize other organs and form...
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is a chronic lung condition associated with two principle illnesses: emphysema and chronic bronchitis. The Family Doctor website states that approximately 12 million Americans have this condition....
A persistent cough is a common reason for visiting a doctor is coughing. Normal coughing occurs occasionally, and clears the airways of mucus and inhaled particles. A severe or uncontrollable cough, however, can indicate a serious underlying...
Conjunctivitis and the cold are two common infections that can be caused by various agents including viruses or bacteria. It is possible for the two infections to occur together, but they can also appear separately with similar symptoms. Another...
Tuberculosis, or TB, kills nearly 2 million people worldwide each year, according to the MayoClinic.com. It is a serious disease that is caused by a bacteria that is present in tiny droplets in the air, which is how it spreads from person to...
Congestion is something that can affect everyone, including toddlers. It is commonly thought that nasal congestion is due to thick mucus, but MedlinePlus clears this idea up by explaining that it is actually due to swelling and inflammation of the...
The Mayo Clinic says that a chronic cough refers to a cough that actually lasts for eight weeks or longer. A chronic cough may be accompanied with such symptoms as a runny nose, burning in the chest and shortness of breath. In fact, a chronic...
Influenza and pneumonia describe disease conditions of the respiratory system. Symptoms may include, but are not limited to, fevers, chills, cough, sputum production, malaise, runny nose, muscle aches and chest pain. Severe disease requires...
Phlegm is a thick liquid produced in the lungs and throat during a cold or flu. In traditional Chinese medicine, or TCM, phlegm is produced by the spleen, and can be either visible, as in cough sputum, or invisible and dispersed throughout the...
Pulmonary edema refers to a swelling of the lungs and/or the accumulation of fluid in the lungs, which occurs from a weakness of the heart or direct injury. Learn more about pulmonary edema in this video.
Pneumonia is an inflammation of the lungs that's usually caused by infection with bacteria, viruses, fungi or other organisms. Pneumonia is a particular concern for older adults and people with chronic illnesses or impaired immune systems. Learn...
